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^y i LITTLE 

PRIMARY PIECES 



WEE FOLKS TO SPEAK 



COMPILED AND ARRANGED BY 

C. S. GRIFFIN 

Associate Editor of "The Primary $chool" 




NEW YORK AND CHICAGO 

E. L. KELLOGG & CO. 



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12 2904 
<5ouyrf«rhi Bi 



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Copyright, 1904, by 
E. L. KELLOGG & CO., 

NEW YORK AND CHICAGO 



CONTENTS 



POEMS FOR AUTUMN. PAGB 

Going to School ------- 7 

Dear Apple, Wake Up - - - - - - 7 

September - ... 8 

Tell Me, Sunny Golden-Rod 9 

Obedience -------10 

Two Little Birds - ... 10 

Kind Hearts - 10 

In the Orchard - - - - - - 11 

THANKSGIVING. 

A Boy's Opinion ------ It 

Thanksgiving Day - - - - - 12 

Harvest ------- is 

Thanksgiving Joys - - - - - - 14 

Thanksgiving Time - - - - - 14 

Why Cats Wash After Eating 15 

CHRISTMAS AND WINTER. 

December 16 

At Christmas Time - 16 

A Tree Song ------ 17 

Why? 18 

Christmas Secrets ------ 18 

A Winter Tree - - - : - - - 19 

Christmas Morning - - - - - - 19 

The First Christmas ------ 20 

Helping Santa Clans - - - - - 21 

January- - - - - - - -22 

Our Sir Robin 22 

The Birdie's Breakfast ------ 23 

The New Mittens ------ 24 

The Snowflake - - - - - - 24 

A Surprise ----- - 25 

Popping Corn - - - - - - -25 

Twinkle, Twinkle, Little Star ... 26 

The Golden Rule 26 



iv. CONTENTS 



THE PATRIOTIC DAYS. 



Our Flag -----..27 

George Washington - - - - . - 28 

Little Soldier ------ 29 

What Should We Do? 30 

Like Washington ---... 30 

Do Your Best -- -----30 

Marching - - - . . . m 31 

FOR THE SPRINGTIME. 

Sing, Lily Bells ------. 32 

If I Were a Sunbeam - 33 

The Popular Poplar Tree - - - . 34 

Bird Builders ------ 34 

Violets --- ----35 

The Pollywog ------ 36 

Why They (Sow - - - - - - 37 

Who Likes the Rain - - - - - 88 

Arbor Day - - - - - - -39 

Two Pussies ------ 39 

Don't You Know? - - - - - - 40 

The Lily - 41 

The Birds' Nest ..... 42 

Decoration Day - - - - - 42 

What? - 43 

Upward -------43 

The Robin and the Chicken - - - - - 44 

Apple Blossoms ------ 45 

Four-Leaved Clover - - - - - - 46 

The Wasp and the Bee .... 47 

The Daisies - - - - - - -48 

Sing a Song of Roses - - - - - 48 

Good Night - - - - - - -49 

How Many? ------ 50 

Mother Goose's Party - - - - - - 50 

Seven Times One Are Seven - - - -51 

Queer Little Roses .... $g 

FOR ALL OCCASIONS. 

Be Patient -------53 

A Little Child 54 

The Baby - - 54 

God's Love - - 5Q 

Little Miss Tidy - - - - - - 5Q 

Which Loved Her Best? - - - - - 57 

Two Sides of a Question - 58 



CONTENTS v. 

The Lazy Cat - - - 59 

A Doll's Bonnet ------ 60 

A Helper ------- 60 

A Little Girl's Hopes ----- 61 

When - 62 

The Dog's Complaint ----- 62 

One Thing at a Time ------ 63 

Little Helpers ------ 64 

Little Kitty - - 64 

Only a Dream - - 65 

A Little Gentleman - Q6 

A Letter from a Cat - - - 67 

A Chicken - - 68 

The Hard Work Plan - - - - 68 

Something Good - - - - - - 69 

Courting - - - - - ' - - 69 

A Mouse - ... 70 

Mrs. Pussy ------- 70 

Didn't Think 72 

A Welcome ------- 72 

Little by Little ------- 73 

Evening Prayer ----- . 73 

SPECIAL DAY EXERCISES. 

What the Children Can Do - - - - - 74 

Thanksgiving ------ 75 

What I Have 76 

Corn Treasures ------ 77 

Glad and Good 78 

Young Soldiers - 79 

The Bird That Tells 80 

Lincoln Exercise - - - - - 82 

The Lambkins - - - ... 84 

What the Trees Think - ... 85 

The Dandelion and the Child - - - - - 86 

Five Chickens ------ 87 

Return of the Birds - - - - - 88 

The Traveled Bumble-Bee - - 90 

A Sunflower Exercise - - - - - 92 

Tree Games - 95 



Grateful acknowledgement is made to those from whose publica- 
tions many of these poems were taken, more especially "The 
Youth's Companion," " St. Nicholas," " Our Little Ones," " The 
Nursery," and "Harper's Young People." Wherever possible 
authors' names have been indicated. 



9IntroHuctfon. 

The poems gathered together in this collection 
have been selected from every available source by a 
teacher of many years' experience with little people. 
They are intended for the youngest boys and girls. 
Very few of the poems are more than sixteen lines in 
length, and every poem is suitable for recitation in 
school. 

There are hundreds of collections of poems suitable 
for older pupils to speak. A few of them are for the 
very little children, most of them containing poems 
that are either too old for those for whose use they 
are intended, or else with poems that for one reason 
or another are objectionable. Great pains have been 
taken to avoid what might be open to just objection 
on the part of teachers of little folks, in the compiling 
of this book. The simple exercises at the end of the 
book will be found suitable for special days or Friday 
afternoons. 

To harassed teachers and mothers beseiged with 

requests for "a piece to speak,' ' this little book is 

lovingly dedicated by 

C. S. Geiffin. 



LITTLE, PRIMARY PIIXIL5. 



#oem0 for Autumn. 

Qoing to School. 

Little folks, little folks, where are you straying, 

Smiling so happy, and dressed neat and fair, 
Oh ! Don't you hear what the school-bells are saying? 

" Come to school ! Come to school ! We're going 
there. 
Little folks, little folks, why don't you gather 

Daisies and golden-rod bright by the way ? 
Oh, the time hastens and we would much rather 

Be there in season than loitering stay. 
Little folks, little folks, what are you bringing, 

Holding so careful and keeping so neat? 
These are the books for our lessons and singing, 

Pleasant the tasks, and the tunes bright and sweet. 
Little folks, little folks, say, will your teachers 

Willingly let you the lessons begin? 
See, here they are, and the smile on their features 

Says, H Little children, we welcome you in ! " 



Dear Apple, Wake Up. 

A good little girl sat under a tree, 
Calling, " Dear Apple, come down to me." 

But the Apple slept on, and did not hear, 
Though loudly she called, " Come, Apple dear." 

The little birds flew to the old apple tree, 
And sang, " Dear Apple, wake up for me." 



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The raindrops fell down with a gentle tap, tap; 

But did not disturb the Apple's nap. 

At last Mr. Wind came rushing that way, 

The child said, " Dear Wind, O help me, I pray " 

" O, yes, that I will! » and he blew all around/ 

Till the apple woke up and jumped to the ground. 

September. 

The golden-rod is yellow; 

The corn is turning brown ; 
The trees in apple orchards 

With fruit are bending down 

The gentian's bluest fringes 
Are curling in the sun ; 

In dusty pods the milkweed 
Its hidden silk has spun. 

The sedges flaunt their harvest 
In every meadow nook ; 

And asters by the brookside 
Make asters in the brook. 

From dewy lanes at morning 
The grapes' sweet odors rise ; 

At noon the roads all flutter 
With vellow butterflies. 

— H. H. 







Xittle iprtmars pieces 

Tell Me, Sunny Golden-Rod. 

Tell me, sunny Golden-Rod, 
Growing everywhere, 
Did fairies come from fairyland, 
And weave the dress you wear? 



<&?* 




Did you get from mines of gold, 
Your bright and sunny hue? 

Or did the baby stars some night, 
Fall down and cover you? 

Are you clad in bright sunshine, . 

Caught from summer's day, 
To give again in happy smiles 

To all who pass your way? 

Lovely are you, Golden-Rod, 

I will try, like you, 
To fill each day with deeds of cheer, 

Be loving, kind, and true. 



io xtttle prtmarp flMeces 

Obedience. 

If you're told to do a thing, 
And mean to do it really; 

Never let it be by halves; 
Do it fully, freely . 

Do not make a poor excuse, 
Waiting, weak, unsteady; 

All obedience worth the name 
Must be prompt and ready. 

— Phcebe Caey. 




Two Little Birds. 

Two little birds, one autumn day, 
Sat on a tree together ; 
They fluttered about from bough to 
bough, 
And talked about the weather. 



The wind is blowing so cold," said they, 
" It chills us as we sing." 
Then away they flew to the sunny South, 
And there they staid till Spring. 

— The Nursery. 

\£- 

Kind Hearts. 

Kind hearts are the gardens, 

Kind thoughts are the roots ; 
Kind words are the blossoms, 

Kind deeds are the fruits ; 
Love is the bright sunshine 

That warms into life ; 
For only in darkness 

Grow hatred and strife. 



Xittle primary pieces 

In the Orchard. 

Happy little children, 
In the orchard gay, 

Picking rosy apples 
All the livelong day. 

Look, the trees are bending 
With their weight, so low ; 

Give the branch a little shake, 
On the ground they go. 

Pile them in the baskets, 
Apples red and sweet; 

Apple pies, apple pies! 
Won't they be a treat! 



11 




Cl)anft£gttoing. 

A Boy's Opinion. 

Oh, Valentine day is well enough 
And Fourth of July is jolly, 

And Christmas time is beautiful, 

With its gifts and wreaths of holly. 

New Year's calling is rather nice, 
And Hallowe'en sports are funny, 

And a May-day party isn't bad, 

When the weather is warm and sunny. 

Oh, all of them are well enough ; 

But the day that is best worth living 
Is when we all go to grandmamma's 

To a splendid big Thanksgiving, 




Thanksgiving Day. 

A bustle in the kitchen, 
A smell of cake and pies, 

Children running everywhere, 
With bright and wondering eyes. 

Rows and rows of good things 

On the pantry shelves, 
A cunning little table 

All to themselves, 
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OLittle primary pieces 

Such a splendid dinner 

Coming on at last! 
Knives and forks a-clattering, 

Tongues that go so fast. 

Apples in the evening, 
Lots of merry play — 

All this fun at grandma's 
On Thanksgiving day. 



13 



Harvest. 

Summer is gone, autumn is here, 
This is the harvest for all the year. 
Corn in the crib, oats in the bin, 
Wheat is all threshed, barley drawn in. 

Carrots in cellars, beets by their side, 
Full is the hay-loft, what fun to hide! 
Apples are barreled, nuts laid to dry, 
Frost on the garden, winter is nigh. 

Father in Heaven, thank Thee for all, 
Winter and spring-time, summer and all, 
All Thine own gifts to Thee we bring, 
Help us to praise Thee, our Heavenly King. 

— Lydia A. Coonley. 




14 Xittle primary ©feces 

Thanksgiving Joys, 

Cart-loads of pumpkins as yellow as gold, 

Onions in silvery strings, 
Shining red apples and clusters of grapes, 

Nuts, and a host of good things, 
Chickens and turkeys and fat little pigs — 

These are what Thanksgiving brings. 

Now is the time to forget all your cares, 

Cast every trouble away ; 
Think of your blessings, remember your joys, 

Don't be afraid to be gay ! 
None are too old and none are too young 

To frolic on Thanksgiving day. 

—Youth's Companion. 




Thanksgiving Time. 

Harvest is come. The bins are full, 

The barns are running o'er ; 
Both grains and fruits we've garnered in 

Till we've no space for more. 

We've worked and toiled through heat and cold. 

To plant, to sow, to reap ; 
And now for all this bounteous store, 

Let us Thanksgiving keep. 



Xittle primary pieces 15 

Why Cats Wash After bating. 

You may have noticed, little friends, 

That cats don't wash their faces 
Before they eat, as children do, 

In all good Christian places. 

Well, years ago, a famous cat, 

The pangs of hunger feeling, 
Had chanced to catch a fine young mouse 

Who said, as he ceased squealing : 

" All genteel folks their faces wash 

Before they think of eating !" 
And, wishing to be thought well-bred, 

Puss heeded his entreating. 

But when she raised her paw to wash, 

Chance for escape affording, 
The sly young mouse said his good-bye, 

Without respect to wording. 

A feline council met that day, 

And passed, in solemn meeting, 
A law forbidding any cat 

To wash till after eating. 

— Eva J. Beede. 




Ci)ti0tma£ anti mtnttx. 



December. 

Three good cheers for old December! 

Month of Christmas trees and toys, 
Hanging up a million stockings, 

For a million girls and boys. 

O, dear December, hurry on, 

Oh, please — oh, please, come quick ; 
Bring snow so white, 
Bring fires so bright, 
And bring us good St. Nick. 

— December Plan Booh. 




At Christmas Time. 

I like to be a little girl almost all the year, 
But if I were a centipede when Christmas is here, 
I think I'd rather like it — for wouldn't it be fun 
To have a hundred stockings, instead of only one ! 




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A Tree Song. 

Sing a song of oak trees, 

Sing a song of pine; 
Sing of elm and hickory, 

Growing broad and fine. 
Sing about the ash tree, 

Poplar tree and beech, 
Maple, birch, and apple tree, 

Pear and plum and peach. 



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Sing of this or that tree, 

Growing here or there ; 
All around the world dear, 

Every tree is fair. 
North or south it may be, 

Maybe east or west; 
But take them all in all, dear, 

The Christmas tree is best. 



18 Xittle jprtmars pieces 

Why? 

Why do bells for Christmas ring? 
Why do little children sing? 
Once a lovely, shining star, 
Seen by shepherds from afar, 
Gently moved until its light 
Made a manger cradle bright. 
There a darling Baby lay, 
Pillowed soft upon the hay ; 
And its mother sang and smiled, 
" This is Christ, the Holy Child." 
Therefore, bells for Christmas ring, 
Therefore, little children sing ! 

— Eugene Field. 






Christmas Secrets. 

Secrets big and secrets small, 

On the eve of Christmas, 
Such keen ears has every wall, 
That we whisper, one and all 

On the eve of Christmas. 

Secrets up-stairs, secrets down, 

On the eve of Christmas, 
Papa brings them from the town, 
Wrapped in papers, stiff and brown, 

On the eve of Christmas. 

But the secret best of all, 

On the eve of Christmas, 
Steals right down the chimney tall, 
Fills our stockings, one and all, 

On the eve of Christmas. 

— Alice E. Allen. 



Xitt^e priman? pieces 19 

A Winter Tree. 

There's a tree that blossoms in winter time, 
In spite of tempests, and wind, and snow, 

And fruit as bright as in tropic clime, 

On its fresh green branches wave and glow; 

No matter how gloomy the winter may be, 

There's sure to be fruit on the Christmas Tree. 




Christmas Morning. 

Christmas morning, and broad daylight! 
Who do you think was here last night, 
Bundled in furs from top to toe? 
I won't tell, for I think you know. 

Who was it came from cold Snowland, 
Driving gayly his eight-in-hand, 
Sleigh piled up with wonderful toys? 
Who was it? Tell me, girls and boys. 

Who was it down the chimney crept, 
While everybody soundly slept; 
Filled the stockings, and topped them all 
With " Merry Christmas," one and all? 



20 Xtttle primary pieces 

Who went back 'neath the bright starlight, 
Reindeer scamp'ring with all their might? 
I won't tell, for it's very clear, 
If you are good, he'll come next year. 



The First Christmas. 

Once there lay a little baby 
Sleeping in the fragrant hay ; 

And that lovely infant stranger, 

Brought our first glad Christmas day. 




Shepherds on the hillside, watching 
Over wandering flocks at night, 

Heard a strange, sweet strain of music, 
Saw a clear and heavenly light 

Which has shown through all the ages. 

And each year throughout the earth 
Children love to hear the story 

Qf the gentle Christ-Child's birth. 



Xtttle primary pieces 21 ■ 

And they seem to see the beauty 

Of the eastern star again! 
And repeat the angel's chorus 

" Peace on earth, good will to men." 
-From " Red Letter Days" The Morse Company. 




Helping Santa Claus. 

" I'd like to help old Santa Claus," 

Said darling little Bess; 
" He has to work so very hard, — 

A million hours, I guess. 

If I should make some presents, too, 

And put them on the shelf, 
He needn't make so many then 

Or work so hard himself." 

So every day our Bess sat down 
With needle, shears, and paste, 

To fold, and draw, and color, too, 
And cut and sew and baste. 

And when on merry Christmas Eve, 
She heard the sleigh-bells sound, 

Our Bessie was the happiest child 
In all the country round. 

s — Bertha E. Bush. 



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January. 

How can a little child be merry, 
In snowy, blowy January? 
By each day doing what is best, 
By thinking, working for the rest; 
So can a little child be merry, 
In snowy, blowy January. 

— January Plan Booh. 




Our Sir Robin. 

When icicles shine so bright, 
Telling of cold weather, 

Then we see Sir Robin bright, 
Rich in scarlet feather. 

Sharp brown eyes, and sober suit, 
Robin's voice is ever mute — 
Pretty winter Robin! 




When the rosebuds are in bloom, 
Telling summer's near, 

Then we hear the voice of Robin 
Singing loud and clear. 

Of all wildwood birds, the best, 
Robin of the red, red breast 
Pretty winter Robin! 



Xittle primary pieces 23 

The Birdie's Breakfast. 

Two little birdies one wintry day, 

Began to wonder, and then to say, 

"How about breakfast, this wintry day? 5 ' 

Two little maidens, one wintry day, 
Into the garden wended their way, 
Where the snow lay deep that wintry day. 

They swept the snow with a broom away ; 
They scattered crumbs, and went to play; 
So the birdies had breakfast, that wintry day. 




24 Xfttle primary pieces 

The New Mittens. 

(To be spoken by a little boy with his mittened hands 
. in his pockets.) 

You folks don't know what I have, 

Down in my pockets deep, 
I guess you'll wish that they were yours, 

When I give you a peep. 
They're red, and made of nice soft wool, 

As warm as kitty's hair. 
*Now look and see if you don't wish 

You had just such a pair? 
* Draws out his hands. 




The Snowflake. 

Whenever a snowflake leaves the sky, 
It turns and turns to say " Good-bye ! " 
Good-bye, dear cloud, so cool and gray ! " 
Then lightly travels on its way. 

And when a snowflake finds a tree, 
" Good-day," it says, " Good-day to thee ! 
Thou art so bare and lonely, dear, 
I'll rest and call my comrades here." 

But when a snowflake, brave and meek, 
Lights on a rosy maiden's cheek, 
It starts — " How warm and soft the day, 
It's summer " — and it melts away. 



Xittle primary pieces 25 

A Surprise. 

Little Kitty Cotton-tail 

Rubbed her sleepy eyes ; 
Went out for a morning walk — 

Stared in wild surprise ! 

" Meaow" cried Kitty Cotton-tail, 

To her sister calling ; 
" Poppy, Poppy, let us hide ! 

See the sky is falling ! " 

Mother Tortoise Shell they met ; 

" What means this ? " she cried. 
" Skies are falling," answered they ; 

" Come and with us hide ! " 

Mother Tortoise Shell was wise, 

And her speech was slow, 
" Foolish little cats," she said, 

" That is only snow ! " 

Popping Corn. 

Bring two ears of yellow corn, and then rub, rub, rub, 
Till the kernels rattle off from the nub, nub, nub. 

Then put them in a hopper made of wire, wire, wire, 
And set the little hopper on the fire, fire, fire. 

If you find them getting lively, give a shake, shake, 

shake, 
And a very pretty clatter they will make, make, make. 



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Xtttie primary pieces 



When the popper gets too full, you may know, know, 

know, 
Tkat the fire has changed your corn into snow, snow, 

snow. 

Turn the corn into a dish, for 'tis done, done, done ; 
Then pass it round and eat, for that's the fun, fun, 
fun. 




Twinkle, Twinkle, Little Star. 

Twinkle, twinkle, little star, 
How I wonder what you are! 

Up above the world so high, 
Like a diamond in the sky. 

When the glorious sun is set, 
When the grass with dew is wet, 
Then you show your little light ; 
Twinkle, twinkle all the night. 

In the dark blue sky you keep, 
Often thro' my curtains peep; 
For you never shut your eye 
Till the sun is in the sky. 

As your bright and tiny spark 
Lights the traveler in the dark ; 

Though I know not what you are, 

Twinkle, twinkle little star. 



The Golden Rule. 

One rule to guide us in our life 
Is always good and true ! 

5 Tis, do to others as you would 
That they should do to you. 



%ty patriotic SDapg. 

My Country. 

I ought to love my country, 
The land in which I live ; 

Yes, I am very sure my heart 
Its truest love should give. 

For if I love my country, 

I'll try to be a man 
My country may be proud of ; 

And if I try, I can. 

She wants men brave and noble, 
She needs men brave and kind. 

My country needs that I should be 
The best man she can find. 



Our Flag. 

The red is the color of morning, 
When sunny and fair it glows, 

And mamma is glad when the baby's cheeks 
Are bright as the red, red rose. 

The white is the color of moonlight, 

It lieth all soft and still ; 
When the lily -bells their secrets tell, 

Ringing o'er vale and hill. 

The blue is the sky's own color, 

And I think, perhaps, baby's eyes, 

That sparkle and glow, are a bit, you know, 
Taken out of the starry skies. 

27 



28 Xittle prtmarg flMeces 

And these are the flowers for the banners, 

The banner of love and light, 
The banner of stars with its crimson bars, 

And its stripings of snowy white. 

— The Young Crusader. 




George Washington. 

When great and good George Washington 

Was a little boy like me, 
He took his little hatchet 

And chopped down a cherry tree. 

And when his papa called him, 

He then began to cry, 
" I did it, oh, I did it, 

I cannot tell a lie." 

His papa did not scold at all, 
But said, " You noble youth, 

I'd gladly lose ten cherry trees 
And have you tell the truth.' 5 

But I myself am not quite clear ; 

For, if I took my hatchet 
And chopped my papa's cherry tree, 

Oh, wouldn't I just catch it! 



Xittle primary pieces 

Little Soldiers. 

Though we never may be soldiers 

On the battlefield, 
Though we may not carry banner, 

Bayonet, or shield; 
Each man can be as true and valiant 

Till life's work is done, 
Each can be as brave a soldier 

As George Washington. 

There are mighty hosts of evil, 

Armies great and strong, 
Each can be a little soldier, 

Fighting all day long. 
Let us ever fight them bravely, 

Let us valiant be; 
Fight the host of greed and envy, 

Pride and cruelty. 



29 







30 OLittte primary pieces 

What Should We Do? 

If all the trees were cherry trees, 

And every little boy 
Should have, like young George Washington, 

A hatchet for his toy, 
And use it in a way unwise, 

What should we do for cherry pies? 



Like Washington. 

We cannot all be Washingtons, 
And have our birthdays celebrated ; 

But we can love the things he loved, 
And we can hate the things he hated. 

He loved the truth, he hated lies, 

He minded what his mother taught him, 

And every day he tried to do 

The simple duties that it brought him. 

Perhaps the reason little folks 

Are sometimes great when they grow taller, 
Is just because, like Washington, 

They do their best when they are smaller. 

— The Sunbeam. 



Do Your Best. 

Little boy, little girl, 

Never, never rest ; 
Do whatever you can, 

And always do your best. 



Xtttle primary pieces 31 



Marching. 

(For three small boys with drums. Each one speaks one 
stanza, and then, drumming, they march around the room, or 
the whole school marches to their drumming.) 

I'm the merry school-house drum, 

And I play, rat-tat-tat-tat, 
When the pupils marching come, 

I'm very proud of that. 

When the drum-sticks make my beat, 

And the children stand in line, 
Down go all the marching feet, 

Oh, I tell you. that is fine ! 

Not a foot that breaks the step, 
Not a boy that marches wrong, 

When I sound my rat-a-plan, 

I'm the drum! just hear my song! 

— Bertha E. Bush. 










0oem# for tf)e Springtime. 

Sing, Lily Bells. 

Sing, sing ; lily bells, ring ; 

The blossoms are coming to town ; 
Daisies and lilies, and daffydowndillies, 

Each in a fresh new gown. 

Sing, sing ; lily bells, ring ; 

The blossoms are coming to town ; 
Lilacs and roses, and other sweet posies, 

Each in a fresh new gown. 

Sing, sing, lily bells, ring; 

The blossoms are coming to town ; 
Pansy and mignonette, marigold, violet, , 

Each in a sweet spring gown. 




Xittie primary pieces 33 




If I Were a Sunbeam, 

" If I were a sunbeam, 

I know what I'd do ; 
I would seek white lilies 

Rainy woodlands through; 
I would steal among them ; 

Softest light I'd shed, 
Until every lily 

Raised its drooping head. 

" If I were a sunbeam, 

I know where I'd go ; 
Into lowliest hovels, 

Dark with want and woe ; 
Till sad hearts looked upward, 

I would shine and shine ; 
Then they'd think of heaven, 

Their sweet home and mine." 

Art thou not a sunbeam* 

Child whose life is glad 
With an inner radiance 
Sunshine never had? 
Oh, as God has blessed thee, 

Scatter rays divine ! 
For there is no sunbeam 

But must die, or shine. 

— Lucy Larcom. 



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v ^ 



The Popular Poplar Tree. 

When the great wind sets things whirling, 

And rattles the window-panes, 
And blows the dust in giants 

And dragons tossing their manes, 
When the willows have waves like water, 

And children are shouting with glee, 
When the pines are alive, and the larches — 

Then hurrah for you and me, 



7 , In the tip o 5 the top o' the top o 5 the tip 
All Of the popular poplar tree! 



popular pop! 

Don't talk about Jack and the Beanstalk, 

He did not climb half so high ! 
And Alice in all her travels 

Was never so near the sky! 
Only the swallow, a-skimming 

The storm-cloud over the lea, 
Knows how it feels to be flying — 

When the gusts come strong and free — 
In the tip o 5 the top o' the top o 5 the tip 

Of the popular poplar tree, 

— Blanche Willis Howard. 




Bird Builders. 

The swallow is a mason, 
And underneath the eaves 

He builds a nest, and plasters it 
With mud and hay and leaves. 



Of all the weavers that I know, 
The oriole is the best ; 



Xittle primary pieces 

High on the branches of the tree 
She hangs her cosy nest. 

The woodpecker is hard at work — 

A carpenter is he — 
And you may hear him hammering 

His nest high up a tree. 

Some little birds are miners ; 

Some build upon the ground ; 
And busy little tailors, too, 

Among the birds are found. 



35 




Violets. 

I know, blue modest violets, 
Gleaming with dew at morn. 

I know the place you came from, 
And the way that you were born. 

When God cuts holes in heaven, 
The holes the stars look through, 

He lets the scraps fall down to earth ; 
The little scraps are you. 



36 Xtttle primary pieces 

The Polliwog. 

A tiny little polliwog, 

And little brothers three, 

Lived in the water near a log, 
As happy as could be. 

A-swimming, swimming all the day, 
A-sleeping all the night, 

And trying, though they were so gay, 
To do just what was right 

A-growing, growing all the while, 

Because they did their best ; 
But I'm afraid that you will smile 
When I tell you the rest. 

One morning, sitting on the log, 
They looked in mute surprise ; 

Four legs had every polliwog, 
Where two had met their eyes. 




Xittle primary pieces 37 

Why They Grow. 

Down in the valley, deep, deep, deep, 
Where little sunbeams wink and peep, 
Under the grasses hiding low — 
There's where the dear little violets grow. 

Out in the meadow, bright, bright, bright, 
Close by the clovers red and white, 
With heart of gold, and a fringe of snow — 
There's where the dear little daisies grow. 




Up in the sycamore tree, tree, tree, 
Peep — and a tiny nest you'll see, 
Swung by the breezes to and fro, 
There's where the dear little birdlings grow. 

Up in the nursery > neat, neat, neat, 
Hear the patter of wee, wee feet — 
Hear little voices chirp and crow — 
There's where the dear little babies grow. 



38 Xittle primary pieces 

Who Likes the Rain? 

" I," said the duck, " I call it fun, 

For I have my little red rubbers on ; 

They make a cunning three-toed track 

In the soft cool mud. Quack ! Quack ! Quack ! 

" I," cried the dandelion, " I," 
My roots are thirsty, my buds are dry ; " 
And she lifted a towsled, yellow head 
Out of her green and grassy bed. 

" I hope 'twill pour ! I hope 'twill pour ! " 
Purred the tree-toad at his gray back-door. 
" For, with a broad leaf for a roof, 
I am perfectly weather proof." 

Sang the brook, " I laugh at every drop, 
And wish they never need to stop 
Till a big, big river I grew to be, 
And could find my way out to the sea." 

" I," shouted Ted, " for I can run, 
With my high-top boots and my rain coat on, 
Through every puddle, and runlet, and pool, 
That I find on my way to school. 

— Clara Doty Bates. 




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39 



Arbor Day. 

Totty and Trotty and Baby May, 
Hard at work on Arbor Day; 
Their spade is sharp and the soil is fine, 
The tree is a dear little baby pine. 
But it never will grow, for, oh, dear me ! 
They have planted the top where the roots ought 
to be. 





Two Pussies. 

Two little pussies came out one day, 
One saw the other over the way. 

" Good morning, sister, how do you do ? ,! 
The other answered with just a mew. 

One gray pussy in great surprise 
Could hardly believe her little eyes. 

" I never could stir from off the bough 
That young pussy is walking now." 

The other pussy went home with a bound ; 

" Mother Tabby, guess what I've found. 
A saucy kitten sat in a tree, 

Wore a brown bonnet, and mocked at me." 
— Kate L. Brown, March Plan Book. 




The gentle breezes have come to sing 
How God takes care of everything. 



40 Xittle pcimarp pieces 

Don't You Know? 

A little rain, and a little sun, 
And a little pearly dew, 
And a pushing up and a reaching out, 
Then leaves and tendrils all about ; 
Ah, that's the way the flowers grow, 
Don't you know? 

A little work, and a little play, 
And lots of quiet sleep; 
A cheerful heart and a sunny face, 
And lessons learned and things in place ;- 
Ah, that's the way the children grow, 
Don't you know? 




Who Loves the Trees Best ? 

Who loves the trees best? 

" I," said the Spring. 
" Their leaves so beautiful 

To them I bring." 

Who loves the trees best? 

" I," Summer said, 
" I give them blossoms, 

White, yellow, red." 



Xittle primary pieces 41 

Who loves the trees best? 

" I," said the Fall. 
" I give luscious fruits, 

Bright tints to all." 

Who loves the trees best? 

" I love them best," 
Harsh Winter answered, 

" I give them rest." 

— Alice May Douglas. 




. The Lily. 

The sweetest thing in my garden, 
On bush, or vine, or tree, 

Is the shining, snow-white lily 
That God has sent to me. 

How wise he must be to make it ! 

How good to put it here, 
For me to watch and care for, 

So very sweet and dear ! 

There's none more fair and spotless 
In all the world, I know ; 

It is fairer than the moonlight, 
And whiter than the snow. 

I love you, beautiful lily, 

Made of the sun and the dew ; 

I Irish that my heart could always 
Be spotless and pure, like you. 



42 Xittle primary ipfeces 

The Birds' Nest. 

" Hush ! Hush," said the little brown thrush, 
To her mate on the alder bush. 
" Keep still, don't open your bill, 

There's a boy coming bird-nesting over the hill. 

Let go your wings out, so 

That not an egg on the nest shall show. 

Chee! Chee! it seems to me 

I'm as frightened as ever a bird can be." 

Then still, with a quivering bill, 

They watched the boy out of sight o'er the hill. 

Ah, then, in the branches again 

Their glad song rang over vale and glen ; 

Oh ! oh ! if that boy could know 

How glad they were when they saw him go, 

Say, so do you think next day 

He could possibly steal those eggs away? 




Decoration Day. 

Here is a lily and here is a rose, 

And here is a heliotrope, 
And here is the woodbine sweet that grows 

On the garden's sunny slope. 
Here is a bit of migncnette, 

And here's a geranium red, 
A pansy bloom and a violet, 

I found in a mossy bed. 



I 



Xittle primary pieces 43 

There are all the flowers I love the best, 

And I've brought them all to lay 
With loving hands, where soldiers rest, 

On Decoration day. 



What? 

What do the birdies dream of? 
Flowers and leaves and waving wheat, 
Brooks and buds and mosses sweet, 
Nooks all hidden from the heat, 

Little birdies dream of. 

What do birdies sing of? 
Morning dew-drops pearly fair, 
Sunshine rippling down the air, 
Heaven's rich beauty everywhere, 

Little birdies sing of. 

What are birdies proud of? 
Soft-lined houses in the tree, 
Baby birdies, one, two, three, — 
These, my dear, you still may see 

Little birds are proud of ! 
— " Songs of the Tree-Top and Meadow." 

Upward. 

The oak tree's boughs once touched the grass, 

But every year they grew 
A little further from the ground, 

And nearer to the blue. 
So live that you each year may be, 

While time glides softly by, 
A little farther from the earth, 

And nearer to the sky. 



44 Xtttle primary pieces 

The Robin and the Chicken. 

A plump little robin flew down from a tree 
To hunt for a worm he happened to see. 
A frisky young chicken came scampering by, 
And gazed at the robin with wondering eye. 

Said the chick, " What a queer looking chicken is that ! 
Its wings are so long, and its body so fat ! " 
While the robin remarked, loud enough to be heard, 
" Dear me ! an exceedingly strange-looking bird ! " 

" Can you sing? " robin asked, and the chicken said 

" No." 
But asked in its turn if the robin could crow. 
So the bird sought a tree and the chicken a wall, 
And each thought the other knew nothing at all. 




Tour-Leaved Clover. 

I know a place where the sun is like gold 
And the cherry blooms burst with snow, 

And down underneath is the loveliest nook, 
Where the four-leaved clovers grow. 

One leaf is for hope, and one is for faith, 

And one is for love, you know, 
And God put another one in for luck — 

If you search you will find where they grow. 
— Ella Higginson. 



Xittle primary pieces 45 

Apple Blossoms. 

" You pretty apple blossoms, 

Why do you fly away 
Just when the spring is sweetest? 

We want you all to stay. 
There's not a single flower 

More beautiful than you. 
O stay, because we love you, 

The whole long summer through." 

The apple blossoms whispered, 

Still sending down a shower: 
" You darling little maiden, 

We've bloomed our springtime hour. 
If we too long should linger, 

Our boughs would never hold 
[For all the little children 

Big apples, red and gold." 

The little maiden pondered 

As, pink and pearly white, 
Came showering the petals 

Upon her ringlets bright. 
She laughed and shook them lightly, 

And then looked up to say : 
"You sweetest apple blossoms 

Be quick and fly away." 

— Sydney Daybe. 




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Xtttle primary pieces 

The Brook. 

" Stop, stop, pretty water ! " 

Said Mary one day, 
To a frolicsome brook 
That was running away. 

" You run on so fast ! 

I wish you would stay: 
My boat and my flowers 

You will carry away. 

" But I will run after ; 

Mother says that I may ; 
For I would know where 

You are running away." 

So Mary ran on ; 

But I have heard say, 
That she never could find 
Where the brook ran away. 

— Mrs. Follen. 




Xittle primary pieces 47 

The Wasp and the Bee. 

A wasp met a bee that was just buzzing by, 
And he said, " Little cousin, can you tell me why 
You are loved so much better by people than I? 

" My back shines as bright and as yellow as gold, 
And my shape is most elegant, too, to behold ; 
Yet nobody likes me for that, I am told." 

" Ah, cousin," said the bee, " 'tis all very true ; 
But if I were half as much mischief to do, 
Indeed, they would love me no better than you. 




" You have a fine shape, and a delicate wing ; 

They own you are handsome, but then there's one 

thing 
They cannot put up with, and that is your sting. 

" My coat is quite homely and plain, as you see, 
Yet nobody ever is angry with me, 
Because I'm a harmless and diligent bee." 




48 Xittle iprimarg pieces 

The Daisies. 

The daisies white are nursery maids, 

With frills upon their caps ; 
And daisy buds are little babes 

They tend upon their laps. 
Sing " Heigh-ho ! " while the wind sweeps low, 
Both nurses and babies are nodding — just so. 

The daisy babies never cry, 

The nurses never scold ; 
They never crush the dainty frills 

About their cheeks of gold. 
But prim and white, in gay sunlight, 
They're nid-nid nodding ! The pretty sight ! 

The daisies love the golden sun 

Up in the clear blue sky ; 
He gazes kindly down on them, 

And winks his jolly eye ; 
While soft and slow, all in a row, 
Both nurses and babies are nodding — just so. 




Sing a Song of Roses. 

Sing a song of roses, 

The garden's all a-blow ; 
White, and cream and crimson, 

Standing in a row. 
Sing a song of sunshine, 

Sunshine warm and sweet, 
Chasing little shadows 

On gold and purple feet. 



Xittle primary pieces 49 

Qood Night. 

A fair little girl sat under a tree, 

Sewing as long as her eyes could see ; 

Then smoothed her work and folded it right, 

And said, — " Dear work, good-night, good-night ! " 

Such a number of crows came over her head, 
Crying " Caw, caw ! " on their way to bed, 
She said, as she watched their curious flight, 
" Little black things, good-night, good-night ! " 

The horses neighed, and the oxen lowed, 

The sheep's " Bleat, bleat ! came over the road ; 

All seeming to say, with a quiet delight, 

" Good little girl, good-night, good-night ! " 

She did not say to the sun, " Good-night ! " 
Though she saw him there like a ball of light ; 
For she knew he had God's time to peep 
All over the world, and never could sleep. 

The tall, pink fox-glove bowed his head ; 
The violets curtsied, and went to bed ; 
And good little Lucy tied up her hair, 
And said, on her knees, her favorite prayer. 

And, while on her pillow she softly lay, 
She knew nothing more till again it was day ; 
And all things said to the beautiful sun, 
" Good-morning, good-morning ; our work is begun ! " 

— Lord Houghton. 




so xtttle primary pieces 

How Many ? 

Seven sheep were standing 

By the pasture wall ; 
" Tell me," said the teacher, 

To her scholars small, 
" One poor sheep was frightened, 

Jumped, and ran away; 
One from seven — -how many 

Woolly sheep would stay? " 

Up went Kitty's fingers — 

A farmer's daughter she, 
Not so bright at figures 

As she ought to be. 
" Please, ma'am."—" Well, then, Kitty, 

Tell us, if you know." 
" Please, if one jumped over, 

All the rest would go. 55 




Mother Goose's Party. 

Old Mother Goose gave a party fine, 

One beautiful long summer day ; 
She 'vited her children all home to dine, 

And every one came, they say ; 
For dear Mother Goose no one could refuse, 

From little Miss MufFet to Goody Two Shoes. 



Xfttle ftrfmarg pieces Si 

The Owl and the Pussy Cat sailed their brig 
From the land where the bung- tree grows ; 

While Hop o' My Thumb carried Jack Spratt's pig, 
With a solid gold ring in his nose. 

Cinderella came too, with her tiny glass shoe, 
And Daffy Down-Dilly, and Little Boy Blue. 

Old Mother Hubbard and good Dame Trott 
Both came with the Man in the Moon. 

The Three Bears brought all the porridge hot, 
And the Dish hurried back with the Spoon. 

And pretty Bo Peep, and the Baa Black Sheep, 
Brought dear little Curly Locks, fast asleep. 

Then Tommy the Piper and Jack and Jill 
And the Brownies saw Old King Cole 

With the Seven League Boots coming up the hill, 
And they brought him his Pipe and his Bowl, 

And they frolicked in glee round the Fiddlers Three, 
And I really wish they had 'vited me ! 

— Gladys Hyatt. 



Seven Times One Are Seven, 

There's no dew left on the daisy and clover, 

There's no rain left in heav'n ; 
I've said my seven times over and over, 

Seven times one are seven. 

I am old, so old I can write a letter, 

My birthday lessons are done ; 
The lambs play always, they know no better, 

They're only one times one. ^ 

show me your nest with the young ones in it, 
I will not steal it away, 

1 am old, so old you can trust me, linnet, 

I am seven times one to-day. 



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Xittle primary pieces 
Queer Little Roses. 



One merry summer day 

Two roses were at play 

All at once they took a notion 

They would like to run away ! 

Queer little roses, 

Funny little roses 

To want to run away ! 



They stole along my fence; 
They clambered up my wall; 
They climbed into my window 
To make a morning call ! 
Queer little roses, 
Funny little roses, 

To make a morning call ! 

— Julia P. Ballard. 





5For 2iii €>tca0ton^. 

A Little Girl and a Little Boy. 

There was a little girl, 

And she had a little curl 
Right down in the middle of her forehead, 

And when she was good 

She was very, very good, 
But when she was bad she was horrid. 

There was a little chap, 

And he had a fur cap 
Which came to the middle of his forehead, 

And when he was cold 

He was very, very cold, 
But when he was warm he was torrid. 




Be Patient. 

The fisher who draws in his net too soon 

Won't have any fish to sell; 
The child who shuts up its book too soon 

Won't learn any lessons well. 

But if you would have your learning stay, 
Be patient, don't learn too fast ; 

The man who travels a mile each day, 
Will get round the world at last. 
— H. W. Duxcken (From the German.) 

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64 Xittle primary ©ieces 

A Little Child. 

A little child may have a loving heart, 
Most dear and sweet, 
And willing feet. 

A little child may have a happy hand, 
Full of kind deeds, 
For many needs. 

A little child may have a gentle voice, 
And pleasant tongue 
For everyone. 



A*- 




&r *" 



The Baby. 

Where did you come from, baby dear? 
Out of the everywhere into here. 
Where did you get those eyes so blue? 
Out of the sky as I came through. 

What makes the light in them sparkle and spin? 
Some of the starry spokes left in. 
Where did you get that little tear? 
I found it waiting when I got here. 



Xfttle primary pieces 



55 



What makes your forehead so smooth and high? 
A soft hand stroked it as I went by. 
What makes your cheek like a warm white rose? 
I saw something better than any one knows. 

Whence that three-cornered smile of bliss ? 
Three angels gave me at once a kiss. 
Where did you get this pearly ear? 
God spoke, and it came out to hear. 

Where did you get those arms and hands? 
Love made itself into bonds and bands. 
Feet, whence did you come, you darling things ? 
From the same box as the cherubs' wings. 

How did they all come to be you? 
God thought about me, and so I grew. 
But how did you come to us, you dear? 
God thought about you, and so I am here. 

— George Macdonald. 




66 Xittle primary pieces 

God's Love, 

From the far blue heaven, 

Where the angels dwell, 
God looks on the children, 

Whom he loves so well ; 
He will, like a father, 

Give them daily bread; 
To the end will keep them 

Safe from fear and dread. 
All ye little children, 

Hear the truth we tell ; 
God will ne'er forget you, 

For He loves you well. 



Little Miss Tidy. 
Little Miss Tidy 
Is neat as a pin ; 
She wipes her feet neatly 
Whene'er she comes in. 
She folds her clothes smoothly 
When going to rest ; 
Of all little girls 
She's the neatest and best. 




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57 



Which Loved Her Best? 

" I love you, mother," said little John ; 
Then, forgetting his word, his cap went on, 
And he was off to the garden swing, 
And left her wood and water to bring. 

" I love you, mother," said Rosy Nell ; 
" I love you better than tongue can tell." 
Then she teased and pouted full half a day, 
Till her mother rejoiced when she went to play. 




" I love you, mother," said little Fan ; 
" To-day I'll help you all I can. 
How glad I am that school doesn't keep ! " 
So the baby she rocked till it fell asleep. 

Then, stepping softly, she brought a broom, 
And swept the floor and tidied the room ; 
Busy and happy all day was she, 
Helpful and happy as child could be. 

" I love you, mother," again they said — 
Three little children going to bed. 
How do you think that mother guessed 
Which of them really loved her best? 



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Xtttie primary pieces 



Two Sides of a Question. 

Said Mary to Johnny, " Oh dear ; 

This play is too poky and slow ; 
There's only one bubble pipe here — 

Oh, Johnny, please, I want to blow ! " 

" No, I'll blow them for you," said he, 
" Just watch, and you'll see every one ; 

That leaves all the labor to me, 

While you will have only the fun." 

Said Johnny to Mary, " Oh, my, 
That apple so big and so bright, 

You can't eat it all if you try ; 
Oh, Mary, please, I want a bite ! " 

" No, I'll eat it for you," said she, 
" And show you just how it is done ; 

I'll take all the labor, you see, 
And you will have only the fun." 

/*% — Our Little Ones. 




little primary pieces 

The Lazy Cat. 

There lives a good-for-nothng cat, 

So lazy it appears, 
That chirping birds can softly come 

And light upon her ears. 

And rats and mice can venture out 
To nibble at her toes, 



59 




Or climb around and pull her tail, 
Or boldly scratch her nose. 



Fine servants brush her silken coat 

And give her cream for tea ; 
Yet she's a good-for-nothing cat, 

As all the world may see. 

— St. Nicholas. 



60 Xittie primary pieces 

A Doll's Bonnet. 

Miss Dorothy Dot, in her little red chair, 
Put her thimble on with a matronly air, 

And said : " From this piece of cloth, I guess, 
I'll make my baby brother a lovely dress." 

She pulled her needle in and out, 
And over and under and round about, 

And through and through, till the snowy lawn 
Was bunched and crumpled and gathered and 
drawn. 

She sewed and sewed to the end of her thread ; 
Then, holding her work to view, she said : 

" This isn't a baby dress, after all ; 
It's a bonnet for my littlest doll ! " 

— St. Nicholas. 



A Helper. 

" Hello ! " is what his grandpa said, 
As through the gate he came; 

"I want to hire a little boy, 

So pray, sir, what's your name? 

" A boy to drive the cattle home, 

And weed the garden bed ; 
A boy to split the kindling-wood, 

And pile it in the shed." 

His grandson looked across the fields, 
And slightly drew away; 
" I think I'll say good-by, g'an'pa — 
I didn't come to stay." 

— Harper's Young People, 



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61 



A Little Girl's Hopes. 

While I'm in the ones, I can frolic all day ; 
I can laugh, I can jump, I can run about and play; 
But when I'm in the tens, I must get up with the lark, 
And sew and read and practice, from early morn till 
dark. 



When I'm in the twenties, I'll be like sister Joe ; 
I'll wear the sweetest dresses (and, maybe, have a 

beau) ; 
I"ll go to balls and parties and wear my hair up high ; 
And not a girl in all the town will be as gay as I. 

When I am in the thirties, I'll be just like mama ; 
And, maybe, I'll be married to a splendid big papa ; 
I'll cook and bake, and mend, and mind, and grow a 

little fat- 
But mother is so sweet and nice, I'll not object to that. 

Oh, what comes after thirty : The forties ! Mercy my ! 
When I grow old as forty, I think I'll have to die. 
But like enough the world won't last until we see that 

day; — 
It's so very, very, very, very, very far away! 




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3Lfttle primary pieces 



When. 

When cherries grow on apple trees, 
And kittens wear lace caps ; 
When boys their sisters never tease 

And bears wear woolen wraps ; 
When all the nursery dolls and toys 

Begin to dance and play — 
Then little girls and little boys 
May lie in bed all day. 

When donkeys learn to sing and dance, 

When pigs talk politics ; 
When London is a town in France, 

When two and two make six; 
When drops of rain are real pearls, 

When coal is clear and white- 
Then little boys and little girls 
May sit up late at night. 





The Dog's Complaint. 

Three little dogs were talking 
As they trotted along the road ; 

And the subject of speech, 

With all and with each, 

Was, what bad folks there were abroad. 

Said the first, " You would hardly believe it, 
But I can assure you it's true — 

A man with a pail 

Threw suds on my tail ! 

Now I think that's cruel, don't you ? " 



Xittie primary pieces 63 

Said the second, " That's very atrocious, 
But a worse thing happened to me, 

A boy with a stone 

Almost broke my back-bone ! 

Now what think you of that? " said he. 

Said the third, " My fate was the hardest, 

And I can prove it right now. 
A man knocked me flat, 
When I looked at a cat ; 

Wasn't that too bad? Bow-wow." 

One Thing at a Time. 

Work while you work; 

Play while you play ; 
This is the way 

To be cheerful and gay. 

All that you do 

Do with your might; 
Things done by halves 

Are never done right. 

One thing each time, 

And that done well, 
Is a very good rule, 

As many can tell. 

Moments are useless 

Trifled away; 
So work while you work, 

And play while you play. 

— M. A. Stodart. 



64 Xittle primary pieces 

Little Helpers. 

Washing and wiping the dishes, 

Bringing in wood from the shed, 
Ironing, sweeping, and dusting, 

Trying to make well our bed; 
Taking good care of the baby, 

Watching her lest she might fall, 
We little children are busy, 

For there is work for us all. 

Reading the paper for grandma, 

Who sits by the stove busy knitting, 
Setting the table for supper, 

Or on errands fast we are flitting. 
Driving the cows to the pasture, 

Feeding the horse in the stall, 
We little children are busy — 

Yes, there is work for us all. 

— Fannie L. Fanchee. 



Little Kitty. 

Once there was a little kitty, 

Whiter than snow; 
In the barn she used to frolic, 

Long time ago. 

In the barn a little mousie 

Ran to and fro; 
For she heard the kitty coming, 

Long time ago. 

Two black eyes had little kitty, 

Black as a sloe; 
And they spied the little mousie, 

Long time ago. 



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65 



Nine pearl teeth had little kitty, 

All in a row; 
And they bit the little mousie, 

Long time ago. 

When the teeth bit little mousie, 
Little mousie cried, " Oh ! " 

But she got away from kitty, 
Long time ago. 

Kitty White so shyly comes, 
To catch the mousie gray; 

But mousie hears her softly step, 
And quickly runs away. 




Only a Dream, 

A little boy was dreaming, 

L'pon his nurse's lap, 
That the pins fell out of all the stars, 

And the stars fell into his cap. 

So, when his dream was over, 
What should this little boy do? 

Why, he went and looked inside his cap, 
And he found it wasn't true. 



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Xittie primary pteces 




A Little Qentleman. 

I know a well-bred little boy who never says, " I 

can't." 
He never says " Don't want to," or " You've got to," 

or " You shan't." 
He never says, " I'll tell mamma," or calls his play- 
mates mean. 
A lad more careful of his speech I'm sure was never 

seen ! 
He's never ungrammatical — he never mentions 

"ain't," 
A single word of slang from him would make his 

mother faint. 
And now I'll tell you why it is — lest this should seem 

absurd ; — 
He's now exactly six months old and cannot speak a 

word! — St. Nicholas. 



Be kind in all 
You say and do 

That others may 
Be kind to you. 



Xittle primary pteces 67 




A Letter from a Cat, 
Dear Editor : 

I hereby take 
My pen in paw to say, 
Can you explain a curious thing 
I found the other day? 
There is another little cat 
Who sits behind a frame, 
And looks so very much like me 
You'd think we were the same. 
I try to make her play with me, 
Yet when I mew and call, 
Though I see her mew in answer, 
She makes no sound at all. 
And to the dullest kitten 
It's plain enough to see 
That either I am mocking her, 
Or she is mocking me. 
It makes no difference what I play, 
She seems to know the game ; 
For every time I look around 
I see her do the same. 
And yet no matter though I creep 
On tiptoe lest she hear, 
Or quickly dash behind the frame, 
She's sure to disappear. 

— Oliver Herford in St. Nicholas. 



68 Xittle primary flMeces 

A Chicken. 

Say, do you hear my basket 
Go " kippy ! kippy ! pe-ek "? 

Maybe my funny basket 
Is learning how to speak. 

If you want to know the secret, 

Go ask the speckled hen 
And tell her when I've warmed them 

I'll bring them back again. 

— Mary Mapes Dodge. 




The Hard Work Plan. 

From the lowest depths of poverty 
To the highest heights of fame, 

From obscureness of position 
To a bright and shining name, 

From the mass of human beings, 
Who compose the common clan, 

You can earn your way to greatness 
By the Hard Work plan. 

'Twas the key to Lincoln's progress, 
'Twas the route to Webster's fame ; 

And Garfield, by this method, 
To distinction laid his claim ; 

And all earth's noblest heroes, 
Since this old world first began, 

Have earned their way to honor, 
By the Hard Work plan. 




Xittle primary pieces 69 

Something Good. 

Ho ! Dotty, say now what you s'pose 

I've here done up tight? 
It's something good, and so I know 

You'd like a bite. 

I had three big new cents, 

And went down town and buyed 

Some bonbons right away, 
And had 'em put inside. 

I'm going to 'vide 'em half in half, 
And give you a fair show, 

I wouldn't be a pig or calf, 
And eat them all, you know. 

That naughty groceryman, boo hoo! 

What has he been about? 
He's put a hole in with them, 

And they've all leaked out. 



Courting. 

One little kitten with a jingling bell; 

Two little eyes, and — don't you tell! 

Three little bowls of milk up high ; 

Four little leaps by the kitten spry ; 

Five little laps of the yellow cream; 

Then comes the end of the blissful dream; 

For one little maid, with two little hands, 

Makes three little steps to the broom as it stands; 

Gives four little stamps and five little blows, 

And out of the door the kitten goes. 

— Harriet Brewer. 



70 



Xittle iprtmarg pieces 
A Mouse, 

Mistress Mouse 

Built a house 
In mamma's best bonnet. 

All the cats 

Were catching rats, 
And didn't light upon it. 

At last they found it 

And round it 
Sat watching for the sinner ; 

When, strange to say, 

She got away, 
And so they lost their dinner. 

— The Nursery. 




Mrs. Pussy. 

Mrs. Pussy, sleek and fat, 
With her kittens four, 

Went to sleep upon the mat 
By the kitchen door. 



Mrs. Pussy heard a noise, 

Up she jumped to see; 
" Kittens, maybe that's a mouse, 

Let us go and see." 



Xittle primary pieces 

Creeping, creeping, creeping on, 

Silently they stole* 
But that little mouse had gone 

Back into his hole. 

" Well," said Mrs. Pussy, then, 
" To the barn we'll go ; 

We shall find the swallows there 
Flying to and fro." 

So the cat and kittens four 

Tried their very best ; 
But the swallows flying fast 

Safely reached the nest. 



71 



Home went angry Mrs. Puss 

And her kittens four; 
Found their dinner on a plate> 

By the kitchen door. 

As they gathered round the plate, 
They agreed 'twas nice 

That it couldn't run away 
Like the birds and mice. 



c^a 




72 Xfttle primary pieces 

Didn't Think. 

Once a trap was baited 

With a piece of cheese ; 
It tickled so a little mouse, 

It almost made him sneeze. 
An old mouse said, " There's danger ! 

Be careful where you go !" 
" Nonsense !" said the other, 

"I do not think you know." 




A Welcome. 

Dear friends, they've chosen me this year 
To tell you that you're welcome here ; 

And though I am so small and shy, 
I'll do my best and will not cry. 

I daresay some would like to ask 

Why I've been given this great task ; 

So listen and I'll tell you all — 
It's just because I am so small. 

Some people make a long, long speech, 
To try if they your hearts can reach ; 

But little children, I've heard say, 
Can reach them in another way. 

And now to show how we do this, 
I greet you with a smile and kiss, 

For this is all that I can do 

To show how much we welcome you. 

— The Teachers 9 Aid. 



Xittie primary pieces W 

Littie by Little. 

" Little by little," an acorn said, 

As it slowly sank in its mossy bed, 
" I am improving everj^ day, 

Hidden deep in the earth away. 5 ' 

Little by little it sipped the dew, 

Little by little each day it grew ; 
Downward it sent out a threadlike root, 

Up in the air sprang a tiny shoot. 

Day after day and year after year 

Little by little the leaves appear ; 
And the slender branches spread far and wide 

Till the mighty oak is the forest's pride. 

— " Songs of the Tree-Top and Meadow." 



Evening Prayer* 

Jesus, tender Shepherd, hear me! 

Bless Thy little lamb to-night; 
Through the darkness be Thou near me, 

Watch my sleep till morning light. 

All the day Thy hand has led me, 
And I thank Thee for Thy care ; 

Thou hast clothed me, warmed and fed me ; 
Listen to my evening prayer. 

Let my sins be all forgiven, 

Bless the friends I love so well; 

Take me, when I die, to Heaven, 
Happy there with Thee to dwell ! 

— Mary L. Duncan. 



Special 2Dap €tttti&t8. 

What the Children Can Do. 

(Each stanza to be recited by a different child.) 

Oh, what can little children do to make the great world 

glad; 
For pain and sin are everywhere, and many a life is 

sad, — 
Our hearts must bloom with charity wherever sorrow 

lowers ; 
For how could summer days be sweet without the little 

flowers ? 

Oh, what can little children do to make the dark world 

bright ; 
For many a soul in sorrow sits, and longs to see the 

light? 
Oh, we must lift our lamps of love, and let them gleam 

afar; 
For how should night be beautiful without each little 

star? 

Oh, what can litttle children do to bring some comfort 

sweet, 
For weary roads where men must climb with toiling 

wayworn feet? — 
Our lives must ripple clear and fresh, that thirsty 

souls may sing ; 
Could robin pipe so merrily without the little spring? 

All this may little children do, the saddened world to 
bless ; 

For God sends forth all loving souls to deeds of ten- 
derness, 

74 




Xtttle primary pieces 75 

That this poor earth may bloom and sing like His dear 
home above; 

But all the work would fail and cease without the chil- 
dren's love. 



't*w 



Thanksgiving. 

First Boy (with a pumpkin). 

This is a pumpkin so big and so round, 
Weighing, oh, many and many a pound, 
To make into pies, the best to be found, 
Jolly good pies for Thanksgiving. 

Second Boy (with a string of cranberries). 

These are the cranberries, see how they shine ! 
Redder than rubies that come from a mine, 
And the jelly they make I tell you is prime, 
To eat with our turkey, Thanksgiving. 

Third Boy (with a wishbone). 

This is the wishbone that grandpa gives me, 
Just because I'm the youngest, you see ; 
When it is broken, what fun it will be, 
Getting my wish for Thanksgiving. 

Fourth Boy (with a string of popcorn). 

This is the popcorn ; we pop it at night, 
Sitting around by the warm firelight, 
Everyone happy and cosy and bright, 
Oh, how we love Thanksgiving. 

—Bertha E. Bush. 



76 Xittle lprtmatg pieces 

What I Have. 

(For five children. Each child recites one stanza.) 

I have two eyes so bright and clear, 
And they see things afar and near ; 
The bird, the tree, the flower so small, 
And the blue sky, bent over all. 

Two ears have I upon my head, 
For me to hear what may be said ; 
To hear my mother's words so mild, 
" Be good and gentle, my dear child ! " 

I have one mouth, as all may see, 
But well its use is known to me. 
For I can talk with it all day, 
And all that I may think can say. 

I have two hands so soft and white — 
This is the left and this the right, 
Five little fingers stand on each, 
With which to hold, and feel, and reach. 
But when I grow as tall as you, 
A deal of work they then will do. 

I have two feet at my command, 
With which to walk, or run, or stand ; 
And should I tumble down, why then 
I must with speed jump up again. 
But when I grow both tall and strong, 
I shall quite boldly march along. 




Xittle primary pieces 77 

Corn Treasures. 
First Boy. 
This is the seed, 
So yellow and round, 
That little Johnny Horner hid in the ground. 

Second Boy. 
These are the leaves, 
So graceful and tall, 
That grew from the seed so yellow and small. 

Third Boy. 
This is the stalk, 
That came up between 
The leaves so pretty and graceful and green. 

Fourth Boy. 
These are the tassels 
So flowery, that crowned 
The stalk, so smooth, so strong, and so round. 

Fifth Boy. 
This is the silk, 
In shining threads spun: 
A treasures it hides from the frost and the sun. 

Sixth Boy. 

This is the treasure, — 
Corn yellow as gold, — 
That satin and silk so softly unfold. 

Seventh Boy. 
This is the cake, 
For Johnny to eat, 
Made from the corn so yellow and sweet. 

- — The Nursery. 



78 Xittie primary pieces 

Clad and Good. 

Be glad, little children, 
Be glad while you may ; 

Life has but one springtime, 
One season for play, — 

One fair rosy morning 
Before the fair day. 

Be glad, little children ; 

Come gather the flowers, 
The fairest and sweetest 

That bloom in the bowers, 
To wreathe the swift moments 

And garland the hours. 

Be glad, little children ; 

The best time is now; 
No shadow should linger 

On childhood's fair brow. 
Be happy, dear children — 

Shall I tell you how? 

Be good, and your hearts 
Will be merry and gay ; 

A sweet peaceful conscience 
Will brighten your way ; 

Be good, and God's favor 
Will bless you alway. 

Be good, little children; 

How pleasant to know 
That God smiles upon you, 

Wherever you go ; 
That nothing can harm you 

While he loves you so. 



Xittle primary pieces 



79 



Young Soldiers. 

(For five small boys.) 

First Boy (with sword). 

I'm the captain, big and bold; 
My soldiers do what they are told. 

Second Boy (with flag). 

I hold the flag, and wave it so; 
Where the captain leads I'm sure to go. 



/ 




/ 



V 



% 




Third Boy (with drum). 

I'm the drummer ; when I drum 

The folks all shout, " Oh, here they come ! 

Fourth Boy (with gun). 

I can shoot ; see my big gun ; 
And don't I make the rebels run! 



80 



Xittie primary pieces 



Fifth Boy (with trumpet). 

I have a horn ; I blow it loud, 
Because I like to draw a crowd. 



Captain. 

Attention, all! We'll march away! 
For we are soldiers, brave and gay. 
(March off, with drum beating, flag waving, etc.) 




The Bird That Tells. 

It's strange how little boys' mothers 

Can find it all out, as they do, 
If a fellow does anything naughty 

Or says anything that's not true ! 
They'll look at you just for a moment, 

Till your heart in your bosom swells, 
And then they know all about it — 

For a little bird tells ! 

Now where the little bird comes from, 

Or where the little bird goes, 
If he's covered with beautiful plumage, 

Or black as the king of crows, 
If his voice is as hoarse as a raven's, 

Or clear as the ringing bells, 
I know not ; but this I am sure of— 

A little bird tells ! 



Xittie primary pieces si 

The moment you think a thing wicked, 

The moment you do a thing bad, 
Or angry, or sullen, or hateful, 

Get ugly, or stupid, or mad, 
Or tease a dear brother or sister — 

That instant your sentence he knells, 
And the whole to mamma in a minute 

That little bird tells ! 

You may be in the depths of the closet, 
Where nobody sees but a mouse ; 

You may be all alone in a cellar, 
You may be on the top of a house ; 




You may be in the dark and the silence, 
Or out in the woods and the dells — 

No matter ! Wherever it happens, 
The little bird tells ! 

And the only contrivance to stop him 

Is just to be sure what to say — 
Sure of your facts and your fancies, 

Sure of your work and your play ; 
Be honest, be brave, and be kindly, 

Be gentle and loving as well, 
And then you can laugh at the stories 

The little birds tell ! 



82 Xittle pitman? Pieces 

Lincoln ILxercise. 

An exercise for seven little boys, dressed in overalls, broad 
brimmed hats looking the worse for wear, and old shoes; boys 
carry hoes bearing the letters of Lincoln's name in plain sight 
of their auditors. They march around the stage and pause 
with backs to audience, hoe in front for eight counts, to the 
right, to the left. Turn to right and repeat the hoeing. Turn 
to left. Turn to front. Afterward hold hoes out so letters are 
visible to audience. In turn they recite: 

L. 

" L's for Labor," says my hoe. 
In this path I mean to go; 
For I've learned from Lincoln's life, 
There's reward for honest strife. 

I. 

Not for Idler stands this I 
Which upon my hoe you spy. 
" Industry," it means to say, 
" Up and doing every day." 
This by Lincoln's life I'm taught, 
And the battles which he fought. 

N. 
" Noble," says my hoe's big N ; 
" Lincoln lived for other men, 
Made his deeds example bright 
For the one who'd be a knight." 
Let us follow where he leads, 
We who love his noble deeds. 

C. 

" C's for Courage," says my hoe. 
Lincoln was most brave, I know 
And each day I'll strive to be 
Such a lad as now wc see 



Xittle primary pieces 



83 



When we picture in our mind 
What in histories we find 
Of the boy whose struggles brave 
Unto Lincoln greatness gave. 

O. 

" O " is the motto of my hoe. 
" Onward, onward, onward go." 
That's the keystone, to my mind, 
Of the arch which now we find 
Built for Lincoln in our hearts 
For his persevering parts. 

L. 

Love's the crown of Lincoln's fame, 
And 'tis Love my L doth name. 
May that love — brave, strong, and free — 
Be the light for you and me. 

N. 
And for Never stands this N. 
N for Never. That is when 
Lincoln's life shall cease to be 
A sweet memory to me. 

One boy. — Three cheers for honest Abe. Hip ! Hip ! 
All together. — Hurray ! Hurray ! Hurray ! 
(March off stage, hoes over shoulder.) 




84 Xittie primary pieces 

The Lambkins. 

One little lambkin, 

With nothing to do, 
Lay in the sunshine, 

Quite lonely and blue; 
Two little lambkins 

Did nothing but bleat, 
Till they discovered 

Their four nimble feet. 

Three little lambkins 

Frolicked together; 
Down in the meadow, 

In pleasant weather; 
And while the lambkins 

All gamboled and played, 
Their three old mothers 

Lay deep in the shade. 

Four big doggies came, 

And the lambkins said, 
If those dogs see us, 

We shall soon be dead. 
So they swiftly ran 

And hid by the stack, 
While the dogs went away. 

And never came back. 

Five little squirrels 

Climbed up in a tree, 
And they were happy 

As they well could be. 
They pelted the lambs 

With cherries so hard, 
They ran from the meadow, 

Back into the yard. 

—Sarah L. Stevens. 



Xittie ipritnars pieces 85 

What the Trees Think. 

First Pupil. 
I am taught by the Oak to be rugged and strong 
In defense of the right ; in defiance of wrong. 

Second Pupil. 
I have learned from the Maple, that beauty to win 
The love of all hearts, must have sweetness within. 

Third Pupil. 
The Beech, with its branches wide-spreading and low. 
Awakes in my heart hospitality's glow. 

Fourth Pupil. 
The Pine tells of constancy. In its sweet voice 
It whispers of hope till sad mortals rejoice. 

Fifth Pupil. 
The nut-bearing trees teach that 'neath manners gruff, 
May be found as " sweet kernels " as in their caskets 
rough. 

Sixth Pupil. 
The Birch, in its wrappings of silvery gray, 
Shows that beauty needs not to make gorgeous display. 

Seventh Pupil. 
The Ash, having fibers tenacious and strong, 
Teaches me firm resistance to battle with wrong. 

Eighth Pupil. 
The Aspen tells me with its quivering leaves, 
To be gentle to every sad creature that grieves. 

Ninth Pupil. 
The Lombardy Poplars point upward, in praise, 
My voice to kind heaven they teach me to raise. 

Tenth Pupil. 
The Elm teaches me to be pliant yet true ; 
Though bowed by rude winds it still rises anew. 



86 Xlttle primary flMeces 

Eleventh Pupil. 
I am taught generosity, boundless and free, 
By the showers of fruit from the dear Apple tree. 

Twelfth Pupil. 
The Cherry tree blushing with fruit crimson red, 
Tells of God's free abundance that all may be fed. 

Thirteenth Pupil. 
In the beautiful Linden, so fair to the sight, 
This truth I discern: It is inwardly white. 

Fourteenth Pupil. 
The firm-rooted Cedars like sentries of old. 
Show that virtues deep-rooted may also be bold. 

— Helen O. Hoyt, in The Teacher's World. 

The Dandelion and the Child. 

First Child. — 

Oh, Dandelion, yellow as gold, 

What do you do all day? 
Second Child (as Dandelion). — 

I just wait here in the long green grass 

Till the children come to play. 
First Child. — 

Oh, Dandelion, yellow as gold, 

What do you do all night? 
Second Child. — 

I wait and wait while the cool dew falls 

And my hair grows long and white. 
First Child.— 

And what do you do when your hair grows 
white, 

And the children come to play? 
Second Child. — 

They take me up in their dimpled hands 

And blow my hair away. 



Xtttle {Primary pieces 87 

Tive Chickens. 

First. 
Said the first little chicken, 

With a queer little squirm : 
" Oh, I wish I could find 

A fat little worm ! " 

Second. 
Said the next little chicken, 

With an odd little shrug: 
" Oh, I wish I could find 

A fat little bug!" 

Third. 
Said the third little chicken, 

With a sharp little squeal : 
" Oh, I wish I could find 

Some nice yellow meal ! " 

Fourth. 
Said the fourth little chicken, 

With a small sigh of grief: 
" Oh, I wish I could find 

A green little leaf ! " 

Fifth. 
Said the fifth little chicken, 

With a faint little moan: 
" Oh, I wish I could find 

A wee gravel stone ! " 

" Now see here," said the mother, 
From the green garden patch, 

" If you want any breakfast 

You just eome here and scratch ! " 



88 Xittle primary pieces 

y^ y^ y^ y^~ y^ y^ w^ y^- ^- w^ 

Return of the Birds. 

Tune: "Gathering Homeward One by One." 

1. Five or seven children arranged in a semicircle on the 
floor asleep, bonnets of violel tissue paper hidden behind them. 

2. Gentle tapping with finger tips. 

3. Open eyes and lift heads. 

4. Turn heads to right and left in time to music. 

5. Children stand. 

6. Put on bonnets. 

7. Bow to right and left. 

8. Nod with head merely. 

9. Little girl touches each by the hand and they all follow 
her in short march. 

10. Children stop, and making a cup of their two hands, 
hold them up for water during verses VIII and IX. 

11. The children, one by one, droop and then fall upon the 
floor, and at last line lie again asleep. 

These verses may be sung to the air of " Coming thro' the Rye." 

Bluebird. 
Children call me little Bluebird ; 

In the early spring 
From your window you may hear me 

Gaily, sweetly sing. 
Every birdie has a carol 

Which it loves to sing, 
We, the merry little Bluebirds 

Let you know 'tis spring. 

Swallow. 
I, the roving little Swallow, 

Greet you all to-day. 
I have been out on the ocean 

Many miles away. 
Oft upon the waves, when weary, 

I would light and rest ; 
But 'tis here, in early summer, 

Where I build my nest. 



>Ltf< 



Xittte primary pieces 89 

Sparrow. 
I'm the little English Sparrow, 

I've a suit of brown. 
I don't like the quiet country, 

But I like the town. 
Many people do not like me, 

For they often say, 
" Where the little sparrow is 

No other birds can stay." 

Goldfinch. 
People call me " Wild Canary," 

Goldfinch is my name, 
From the land of orange blossoms 

To the North I came. 
Often you may hear me singing 

Through the summer days, 
For my little heart is swelling 

With its song of praise. 

Robin. 
I'm your little friend, the Robin, 

I've a scarlet breast. 
Now to please the little children, 

I will do my best; 
And I hope you'll treat me kindly, 

For I longer stay 
Than the other summer birdies, 

Children, all, good day. 

— Laura B. Case. 




9o Xfttle pdmars pieces 

The Traveled Bumble-Bee. 

(For four children. The first child recites the first and fourth 
stanzas, one child recites the second, one the third, andone the 
last stanza.) 




A bumble-bee belted with brown and gold 

On a purple clover sat: 
His whiskers were shaggy, his clothes were old, 

And he wore a shabby hat ; 
But his songs were loud, and his merry eye 

Was full of laughter and fun, 
As he watched the bob-o-links flutter by, 

And spread his wings in the sun. 

A butterfly spangled with yellow and red 

Came flying along that way ; 
He had two small feathers on his head, 

And his coat was Quaker gray ; 
He carried a parasol made of blue, 

And wore a purple vest ; 
And, seeing a bumble-bee, down he flew, 

And lit on a daisy's crest. 

Then from the grass by a mossy stone 

A cricket and beetle came, — 
One with black garb, while the other shone 

Like an opal's changing flame. 
A swaying butterfly's golden bloom 

Bent down with the beetle's weight, 
And high on a timothy's rounded plume 

The cricket chirruped elate. 



Xittle primary pieces 



91 



The bumble-bee sang of distant lands 

Where tropical rivers flow ; 
Of wide seas rolling up shining sands 

And mountains with crowns of snow; 
Of great broad plains with flower-gems bright. 

Of forests whose fragrant glooms 
Showed crumbling ruins, ghostly and white, 

Old forgotten nations' tombs. 




Then wisely the beetle winked his eye ; 

The cricket grew staid and still, 
The butterfly in his great surprise, 

Went sailing over the hill ; 
The beetle scratched beneath his stone ; 

The cricket he gave a hop ; 
And there the bumble-bee sat alone 

On the purple clover-top. 

— Our Dumb Animals. 



92 Xittle primary pieces 

A Sunflower Exercise. 

An exercise for autumn for a number of children, each 
wearing or carrying a sunflower. These are not meant to be 
tame sunflowers, but rather the small wild ones, like yellow 
daisies that blossom so abundantly all over the west Central 
States in the fall. If, however, the children are not familiar 
with the wild ones, let them take the garden variety. If the 
children are small, let each make her own sunflower for busy 
work by pasting petals of yellow or orange around a circular 
center. They will enjoy wearing these made with their own 
hands even more than the much prettier natural flowers. 

(Tune, There is Sunshine in My Saul To-day.) 

There are sunflowers in the fields to-day, 

You may find them everywhere, 
With their faces brighter than the stars 

And gay beyond compare, 
Oh, the sunflowers, yellow sunflowers, 

Shining bright on the prairie far and fair ! 
Nodding gaily to the breeze, 
Smiling brightly to the sun, 

There are sunflow'rs ev'rywhere. 

Chorus. 

O the sunflow'rs, yellow sunflow'rs, 

Shining bright on the prairie far and fair ! 
Nodding gaily to the breeze, 
Smiling brightly to the sun! 

There are sunflow'rs everywhere. 

There are sunflow'rs in the fields to-day, 
And a message sweet they bear; 

For the hand that set each golden ray 
Brings beauty ev'rywhere. 
Chorus. 

After the children sing this they retire to the back 
part of the room and the children who are to give the 
next exercise come forward. The teacher has drawn on 



Xittle primary pieces 93 

the blackboard beforehand with orange chalk a circle 
about four inches across. As each child gives his lines 
he draws one petal till, at the conclusion, the sunflower 
is finished. 

School. — 

What is the message the sunflowers tell? 
Give it, we pray. We will listen well. 

Speakers together.—- 

A message of brightness, a message of cheer, 
Each petal will tell us if we will but hear. 

First Child. (Drawing the uppermost petal.) — 
Love is the message my petal shall say, 
For love can brighten the darkest day. 

Second Child. (Drawing the lowest petal.) — 
Mine speaks of joy to each lassie and lad. 
Be happy yourself and make others glad. 

Third Child. (Drawing left-hand petal.) — 
Mine tells, as a guide to our daily living, 
That the world is brightened by generous giving. 

Fourth Child. (Drawing right-hand petal.) — 
A grateful heart will brighten it too, 
And loving thanks where thanks are due. 

Fifth Child. (Drawing the upper left-hand corner 
petal.) — 

Friendliness brightens the gloomiest ways: 

" Be a friend, love your friend," my petal says. 

Sixth Child. (Drawing the upper right-hand corner 
petal. ) — 
An eye that sees what is good and fair 
Makes the world brighter everywhere. 



94 



Xtttle prtmarp pieces 



Seventh Child. (Drawing the lower left-hand corner 
petal.) — 
Ripples of laughter and kind, gentle words, 
Make sweeter music than even the birds. 

Eighth Child. (Drawing lower right-hand corner 
petal.) — 
Lastly, a patient heart, tender and strong, 
Makes the world brighter by helping along. 

Singers. (From the back of the room with the same 

tune as before.) — 
There are children in the world to-day. 

God, in love, has placed them there. 
May they heed this message of the flowers 

With thoughtful, tender care. 

Chorus. 

Oh, the children, happy children, 

With their merry eyes and faces fair! 
In their work and in their play 
May they be like sunflow'rs gay, 
Spreading brightness everywhere. 




Xittte primary pieces 




5 



Tree Games. 

This is the apple a little child found. 1 
This is the core which he put in the ground. 2 
These are the seeds all hidden away, 3 
Wishing and waiting for some sunny day. 
Here is an orchard of young apple trees, 4 
Covered with blossoms and humming with bees. 1 
These are the branches pulled down by the weight 6 
Of the finest ripe apples that ever you ate. 7 

1. Children sitting in seats form apple with hands. 

2. Children get out of seats, stoop down and make the 
motion of digging and planting. 

3. Children sit on floor beside desks with bent heads and 
closed eyes. 

4. Rise slowly to feet. 

5. Lift arms and spread fingers. Children make the 
sounds of humming bees before going on with next two lines. 

6. Arms straight out and hands drooping. 

7. Drop arms heavily. 

This is an acorn so smooth and so brown, 1 
Which from a great oak tree came rattling down. 2 
Now it is hiding deep down in the grass, 3 
Waiting for ice-time and snow-time to pass. 
Here are some baby oaks trying to grow, 4 
Here are young saplings all placed in a row, 5 
These are tall oak trees in red leaves and brown, 6 
Hear how their acorns come rattling down. 7 

1. Children sitting in seats form acorns with fingers. 

2. Children make a single tap on desks. 

3. Children sit on floor beside desks with bent heads. 

4. Sit upright. 

5. Stand. 

6. Stand on seats with arms reaching up. 

7. Children take seats and tap briskly on desks. 



LIBRARY OF CONGRESS 

Xittle Jprtman? IP 022 204 596 4 

94 

<\*Now we are elm seeds, such wee little things I 1 

Se Fluttering down on our tiny brown wings. 2 

Now we are nestling down under the trees, 3 

And soon baby elm leaves will wave in the breeze. 4 

Slowly, so slowly, the little elms grow, 5 

Spreading their branches out gracefully, so ! 6 

See, they are arching high over your heads, 7 

A home for the oriole's wee swinging beds. 8 

1. Children in seats. 

£. Sit down on floor softly. 

3. Bend heads. 

4. Raise heads and wave hands softly. 

5. Rise slowly to feet. 

6. Spread arms out. 

7. Join hands across aisles. 

8. Swing joined hands gently, drop hands to sides and re 
main standing for next verse. 

Did you hear the warm South wind come whisper 
ing by? 1 

Did you see the gay maple seeds, see them all fly? 
Now they are sleeping ! do let them alone ! 2 
If you do, you'll see maple trees coming up — so! s 
As seedlings and saplings and larger trees grow. 
Then some other season as time passes by, 4 
You'll see more maple seeds ready to fly. 5 

1. Before beginning this verse the children imitate the sound 
of a soft wind, run swiftly and softly around the room and on 
coming back to place sit quietly down on the floor beside their 
desk. 

2. Bend heads and close eyes. 

3. Rise slowly to feet and spread arms out and up. 

4. After repeating the last line the children run again swiftly 
and softly around the room and back to places. Take seats. 

5. Motion of flying with hands. 



/w n 7/ 

&8 



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